U.S. patent application number 12/251878 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-09 for methods of and systems for displaying selected portions of split screen displays.
This patent application is currently assigned to Vuzix Corporation. Invention is credited to Vincent J. Ferrer, Ian Sinclair, Steven D. Smith.
Application Number | 20090174728 12/251878 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40844229 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090174728 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ferrer; Vincent J. ; et
al. |
July 9, 2009 |
METHODS OF AND SYSTEMS FOR DISPLAYING SELECTED PORTIONS OF SPLIT
SCREEN DISPLAYS
Abstract
A system for manipulating the appearance of a video signal
includes an input, a user interface, and a processor. The input
receives a video signal displayable as a video image in an active
video field. The video image includes a plurality of sections. The
user interface accepts a user input to select one of the plurality
of sections. The processor manipulates the video signal to display
the selected one or more of the plurality of sections of the video
image on a display associated with the user.
Inventors: |
Ferrer; Vincent J.;
(Pittsford, NY) ; Smith; Steven D.; (Rochester,
NY) ; Sinclair; Ian; (Indian Falls, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Stephen B. Salai, Esq.;Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
1600 Bausch & Lomb Place
Rochester
NY
14604-2711
US
|
Assignee: |
Vuzix Corporation
Rochester
NY
|
Family ID: |
40844229 |
Appl. No.: |
12/251878 |
Filed: |
October 15, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61019233 |
Jan 4, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/619 ;
463/40 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/308 20130101;
H04N 21/4316 20130101; G09G 5/005 20130101; A63F 13/86 20140902;
A63F 2300/8088 20130101; G09G 2320/0606 20130101; H04N 21/47
20130101; G09G 1/007 20130101; A63F 13/843 20140902; G09G 2340/0464
20130101; A63F 13/10 20130101; A63F 13/52 20140902; H04N 21/42204
20130101; G09G 5/006 20130101; G06F 3/1431 20130101; G09G 5/18
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/619 ;
463/40 |
International
Class: |
G09G 5/00 20060101
G09G005/00; A63F 13/00 20060101 A63F013/00 |
Claims
1. A system for manipulating the appearance of a video signal,
comprising: an input receiving a video signal displayable as a
video image in an active video field, the video image including a
plurality of sections; a user interface receiving an input from a
user to select one of the plurality of sections; and a processor
for manipulating the video signal to display the selected one or
more of the plurality of sections of the video image on a display
associated with the user.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein each section is associated with a
different user.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sections
comprises first and second sections arranged one of horizontally
and vertically in the active video field.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor manipulates the
video signal to display only one of the first and second sections
substantially centered on the display associated with the user.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor manipulates the
timing of at least one of an input H sync and an input V sync
associated with the received video signal with respect to one of a
respective corresponding output H sync and an output V sync used
for displaying a selected one of the first and second sections.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first and second sections are
arranged vertically, the received video signal comprises the input
H sync for each of the lines in a frame comprising the video image,
and wherein the processor manipulates the timing of the input H
sync to one of before and after the output H sync.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the first and second sections are
arranged horizontally, the received video signal comprises the
input V sync for each of the frames comprising the video image, and
wherein the processor manipulates the timing of the input V sync to
one of before and after the output V sync.
8. The system of claim 5, wherein an output video signal sent by
the processor to the display comprises only a portion of the
received input video signal.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising outputting from the
processor a number of pixels other than those from the received
input video signal.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the number of pixels are blank
pixels.
11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second display
associated with a second user, the second display displaying a
second of the plurality of sections different from the selected one
or more of the plurality of sections.
12. A method of presenting selective portions of a multiplayer
video game to one or more of a plurality of players, comprising:
providing a video game signal including video information
comprising a plurality of pixels; determining from the video game
signal a first set of pixels comprising video information for
viewing by a first player and a second set of pixels comprising
video information for viewing by a second player; and displaying
the first set of pixels on a first display and the second set of
pixels on a second display.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: forming a first
output video signal including information corresponding to the
first set of pixels and outputting the first output video signal
for display in the displaying step; and forming a second output
video signal including information corresponding to the second set
of pixels and outputting the second output video signal for display
in the displaying step.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of: the first
output video signal is formed to present the first plurality of
pixels in a first predetermined position on the first display, and
the second output video signal is formed to present the second
plurality of pixels in a second predetermined position on the
second display.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a user
input from a user input device defining the first set of pixels and
the second set of pixels.
16. A system for playing video games, comprising: a video source
outputting a video signal comprising pixels for displaying in an
active video field; a video decoder for decoding the video signal
output from the video source; a user interface accepting an input
from a user corresponding to a user selected portion of the active
video field and outputting a selection signal corresponding to the
user input; and a video processor receiving the decoded video
signal from the video decoder and the selection signal from the
user interface and manipulating the decoded video signal to render
a display according to the user input.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user input identifies a
first portion of the active video field to be displayed on a first
display device viewable by the user.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein a second portion of the active
video field, different from the first portion, is displayed on a
second display device.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second display device is
not viewable by the user.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein the portion of the active video
field not included in the first portion is manipulated to be
imperceptible and the entire active video field is displayed on the
first display device.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/019,233, filed Jan. 4, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates generally to videos and video
gaming. More specifically, the invention relates to methods for
presenting a section of a split-screen display to a user.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] The present invention relates generally to discriminating
amongst portions of a displayed image and displaying to a user less
than all of the discriminated portions. Although not limited to
this application, the present invention is particularly useful for
multiplayer video games in which a single display conventionally is
shared by multiple players. For example, when two players are
pitted against each other in a game, the screen conventionally is
split either horizontally or vertically to accommodate the view
seen by the first player in one area and the view seen by the
second player in another area. Similarly, when multiplayer mode
consists of allowing 3, 4, or even more players to participate, the
display is segmented into a corresponding number of discreet areas,
each area showing the playing screen for the specific user.
Accordingly, when four players are participating, it is not
uncommon for a display to be broken into four quadrants, one in
each of the top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right
portions of the screen.
[0006] With these conventional methods of displaying multiplayer
images on a single screen, problems have arisen because each player
is able to see his or her opponent's screen. Thus, each player has
no privacy from the other players, which can lead to unfair
advantages. In addition, extraneous information displayed to a user
can be distracting and possibly limit the user's ability to
concentrate or otherwise achieve the goal of the game.
[0007] Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved methods
and systems for displaying multiplayer games individually to
multiple users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention remedies the foregoing needs in the
art by providing a more "singular" approach, which allows a user to
select only the portion of the screen pertinent to his or her
playing of the game to display only that portion to the user.
Accordingly, the present invention allows a user to view the video
game in a manner similar to a single player scenario, but while
still playing in a multiplayer scenario.
[0009] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system for
manipulating the appearance of a video signal. The system includes
an input, a user interface, and a processor. The user input
receives a video signal displayable as a video image in an active
video field. The video image includes a plurality of sections. The
user interface accepts a user input to select one of the plurality
of sections. The processor manipulates the video signal to display
only the selected one or more of the plurality of sections of the
video image on a display associated with the user.
[0010] In another aspect of the invention, a method of presenting
selective portions of a multiplayer video game to one or more of a
plurality of players includes providing a video game signal
including video information comprising a plurality of pixels. The
method also includes determining from the video game signal a first
set of pixels comprising video information for viewing by a first
player and a second set of pixels comprising video information for
viewing by a second player, and displaying the first set of pixels
on a first display and the second set of pixels on a second
display
[0011] In yet another aspect of the invention, a system for playing
video games includes a video source, a video decoder, a user
interface, and a video processor. The video source outputs a video
signal comprising pixels for displaying in an active video field.
The video decoder decodes the video signal output from the video
source. The user interface accepts an input from a user
corresponding to a user selected portion of the active video field
and outputs a selection signal corresponding to the user input. The
video processor receives the decoded video signal from the video
decoder and the selection signal from the user interface and
manipulates the decoded video signal to render a display according
to the user input.
[0012] These and other aspects and features of the invention will
be appreciated with reference to the following detailed description
and accompanying figures, in which the invention is described and
illustrated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0013] FIGS. 1A and 1B are illustrations of conventional layouts in
multiplayer game scenarios.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a depiction of a conventional streaming video
format.
[0015] FIG. 3A is a block diagram showing hardware for decoding
video signals and performing embodiments of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 3B is a block diagram showing hardware for decoding
video signals and performing embodiments of the present
invention.
[0017] FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are a flow chart and two timing charts
illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are a flow chart and two timing charts
illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing additional embodiments
according to the invention.
[0020] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a hardware setup according
to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a depiction of a system including a number of
display devices connected in a multiplayer scenario.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] In a first embodiment of the invention, each of FIGS. 1A and
1B depicts a monitor 10a, 10b on which a multiplayer game is
depicted. Shown schematically therein, the multiplayer game is
broken into two portions, A and B, for respective use by two
players, 1 and 2. During normal play of the game, user 1 is
concerned only with the image depicted on portion A of the screen,
and user 2 is concerned only with the portion of the display shown
in portion B of the screen. FIG. 1A depicts a horizontally-split
scenario, in which sections A and B are arranged next to each other
on the display 10a. FIG. 1B is a similar embodiment, but in which
with the screen sections A and B are arranged one on top of the
other on the display 10b, in a vertically-split scenario. FIG. 1A
and FIG. 1B both illustrate generally scenarios that avail
themselves to the processing of the invention, which includes
discriminating between portion A of the image and portion B of the
image and presenting on a single display only portion A to the
first user and on a second display used by the second user, portion
B.
[0023] While the invention can certainly be used with multiple
TV's, computer monitors, or the like, it is also envisioned that
the device may be used with personal video display glasses, such as
those made by Vuzix Corporation and sold under the trade name
IWEAR.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation generically showing the
two embodiments of FIGS. 1A and 1B, described above. As shown
therein, two sections (I and II, corresponding to sections A and B
described above) are displayed within an active video field 12 and
as will be described in more detail below, the two sections,
section A and section B in FIG. 2 are to be displayed separately on
separate displays. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the two sections are
disposed within the active video field 12 and are generally
described according to pixel locations (0, 1, 2, . . . , Y, in the
horizontal direction) on active video lines (0, 1, 2, . . . , X).
As also illustrated in FIG. 2, the active video portion 12 is
generally a subset or subportion of the entire video feed, which
generally includes blanking regions 14 surrounding the active video
region 12. The entire vide feed, including blanking region, is
illustrated in FIG. 2 as a filed M lines tall.times.N pixels wide.
This arrangement is generally well known to skilled practitioners.
As will also be appreciated from the following description, there
may be more than two sections, and the sections may be arranged in
non symmetric or uneven-shaped patterns.
[0025] FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a hardware
arrangement for implementing the methods of the present invention.
As generally illustrated therein, an apparatus 20 according to the
invention includes a video input module 22 (or video decoder), a
user input module 24 with an associated microcontroller 26, a video
processor 28 (illustrated as an FPGA controller), and a video
output module 30 (or video encoder). In general operation, the
video decoder 22 receives a video signal 21 from a video source
(not shown in FIG. 3), which may include a gaming console or some
other computing system on which the video signal is derived. The
decoded video signal is then sent to the video processor 28. The
video processor 28 also receives an input 25 from the user input
module 24, which preferably allows a user to choose between a
plurality of display options. The options for choosing by the user
include at least (i) a full field display in which the video signal
is displayed as was intended, namely, all the lines and pixels in
the active video are shown, and (ii) a partial display, in which
only some portion of the active video is shown to the user. The
user input module preferably includes controls to select amongst a
number of partial display options, including, but not limited to, a
mode in which one of the left and right halves of the screen can be
displayed, and another mode in which one of the top and bottom
halves of the display is shown to the user. As will be appreciated
from the description, other modes also may be chosen to show
regions of the active video display other than what has just been
described.
[0026] As noted above, the user-chosen display mode is received by
the video controller. Once received, the video controller
manipulates the decoded video signal to output a video signal 31
that will present the display to the user in the chosen mode.
Before being displayed, the video signal output by the processor
may be encoded using a video encoder, for compatibility with the
display device. Also illustrated in FIG. 3B is a video
buffer/amplifer 32. This feature will be described in more detail
below, and can be useful to feed input video signal to another
apparatus having a separate display device.
[0027] FIG. 3B represents another apparatus 40 similar to the
apparatus 20 of FIG. 3A. This apparatus 40 also includes a video
input 42 receiving a video input signal 41, a user input 44
generating a signal 45 for sending to an FPGA controller 48 and a
video output 50 outputting a video output signal 51 to a display.
The apparatus of FIG. 3B also includes a video frame memory 54,
which will be described in more detail below.
[0028] Exemplary processing according to preferred embodiments of
the invention now will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A-4C.
Of those Figures, FIG. 4A illustrates a block diagram similar to
that of FIG. 3A, but with the original or native video signal
output from the gaming console intended to be displayed in the
manner illustrated in FIG. 1A, i.e., with portion A being displayed
on the left side of the screen and portion B on the right side of
the screen. Depending upon the user selection, i.e., the user
selection to view either portion A or portion B, the processing of
the video signal will be done as illustrated in FIGS. 4B and 4C,
respectively.
[0029] FIG. 4B shows a timing chart illustrating the scenario in
which the user selects to view the left hand side (portion A) of
the two person, horizontally-split multiplayer display. The input
video signal includes a horizontal sync (IN HSYNC) defining the
start of each line in the frame followed temporally by the row of
pixels comprising the specific line. Because only the first half of
each line is desired to be shown to the user, however, the video
signal output by the processor has an OUT HSYNC that occurs before
the IN HSYNC. Directly following the OUT HSYNC for the video
displayed to the user is a video signal showing a blank, in this
case, all black pixels. In the preferred embodiment, the number of
black pixels shown in this blank portion approximates one-quarter
of the width of the display. Directly following the blank portion,
the output video signal tracks the in video signal, namely, to show
the input video signal beginning at the beginning of the input
line. However, instead of showing the entire input video signal,
only the first half of the input video signal is shown. After the
first half of the input video signal is shown, a blank region is
generated by the video controller. In the illustrated embodiment,
this blank portion is again a series of black pixels, and those
pixels comprise the last quarter of the displayed row. As will be
appreciated, as successive lines are read out on the display
screen, the user sees in the horizontal center of the screen the
portion A of the video signal output by the console surrounded on
either side by two black strips. Thus, the user is presented only
with the portion of the game with which he is concerned.
[0030] Thus, section A of the two part video display is shown to
the user by adjusting the timing of the H sync and controlling the
amount of the input video signal that is subsequently output to the
display screen. The H sync of the output video image is
pre-triggered i.e., before receiving the H sync of the input video.
Between this pre-triggering, and a display of the input video,
black video is shown on the output. Similarly, after the first half
of the input display video is shown, a black video is again
displayed until the next H SYNC. Effectively, each line of the
input video signal is shifted approximately one-quarter of the way
across the screen (horizontally) and only approximately the first
half of each line is displayed.
[0031] FIG. 4C illustrates a timing pattern similar to that of FIG.
4B, but illustrates the manner in which the right-side, or B,
portion of the display is displayed to the user concerned with that
section of the display. The H sync and IN video are received from
the gaming console in the same manner in which they are received in
the embodiment in which Section A of the video signal is
illustrated. However, the H sync for the VIDEO OUT (the OUT HSYNC)
is triggered after the H sync of the video in and, like in the
display for FIG. 4B, the H sync for the video out is followed by a
blank portion. In this embodiment, a series of black pixels are
used for the blank portion. The video OUT signal then tracks the IN
video through the completion of the IN video signal, namely, to
display the second half of each line of the IN video signal. Upon
completion of displaying the input video signal, each line is
completed with a blank portion, which in this embodiment is again a
series of black pixels. Effectively, the foregoing process and
apparatus allows the right half of the original active video field
(section B) to be shifted left (in the horizontal direction)
approximately one quarter the width of the display with only
section B being shown, bounded on either side by a blank
region.
[0032] As should be appreciated, the ability to display both the A
portion of the display screen and the B portion of the display
screen simultaneously but separately requires two video displays,
one unique to each user in the multiplayer scenario. Thus, two
processers generally are needed, one to process the input video
signal to display the A portion and a second to process the input
video signal to display the B portion. The embodiment illustrated
in FIG. 4A shows that the input video signal is split prior to
decoding for manipulation of subsequent display of only a single
portion of the display. To this end, the present invention as
illustrated in FIG. 3A, anticipates using the video buffer amp and
a "video out" connector to send the video signal for processing by
a second processor corresponding to the second display, thus
negating the need for a separate video splitter device.
[0033] In one embodiment, the present invention could be
implemented as a single "black box" that includes multiple
processors and multiple video outputs, each one being configurable
to output a video signal corresponding to a display of one of the
portions to be viewed by the individual user. For example, this
black box could be incorporated into the video game console or
other video signal origination device. However, and as noted above,
the invention also is useful with personal video display devices.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to "daisy chain" a plurality of
personal video displays. Thus, the first user would be connected
directly to the console, where as a video output from the first
personal video display device is then in communication with an
input of a second video display device. In one embodiment, an
output could be a configurable audio and/or video output that would
receive a connector receivable on the opposite end in the video
input portion of a second personal video device. Of course,
wireless connections also could be used.
[0034] FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate additional diagrams similar to those
of FIGS. 4A-4C, but in which the A and B portions of the video
display are in a vertical orientation, namely, one on top of the
other in the video signal output by the video source. This
embodiment is similar to the embodiment described above for
horizontally-split screens, but in this embodiment, the timing of
the V sync is adjusted as opposed to that of the H sync.
Specifically, when it is desired to show the A, or top, portion of
the screen, a time shift is applied as depicted in FIG. 5B, such
that the V sync of the output video is pre-triggered in relation to
the V sync of the input. The V sync of the output preferably is
followed by a series of all blank lines, which in turn are followed
by a number of lines corresponding to a top half of the original
video display and then another series of blank lines. The
appearance then provided to the user is of a first horizontal blank
band at the top of the screen and a similar band at the bottom of
the screen, preferably each being approximately one-quarter the
height of the screen. Sandwiched between the two bands is the first
player or A portion of the input video signal. In this embodiment,
the A portion is shifted downer on the user display approximately
one quarter the height of the display screen, and the B portion is
not shown.
[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 5C, when section B of the split
screen is to be displayed to a user, the output V sync is triggered
after the input V sync and after a portion of the input video, and
is followed by a series of black lines. These black lines are then
followed by output of the original video signal, namely, the B
portion of the video signal. The lines output after that are
preferably blank lines. Like in the discussion above for the A
portion, the second player, or the user desiring to see the B
portion of the video signal now sees blank (black) horizontal bands
at the top and bottom of his frame, sandwiching the B portion of
the video signal. In this embodiment, the users see only the
portions of the display relevant to their game-playing
experience.
[0036] As will be appreciated, although in these embodiments it is
illustrated that the portion desirable to each of the users is
centered on the screen, such is not necessary. For example, the
user desiring to see the A portion may not want their portion
moved. In this scenario, the B portion of the signal is merely read
out as blank pixels. Moreover, the invention is not limited to use
of black pixels for the blank regions. White pixels or any other
coloration could be used. Alternatively, the blank regions could
display designs or text or any other useful information, as desired
by the programmer.
[0037] The invention has been described for two-player scenarios,
but it also is known to have scenarios including more than two
players at a time. When more than two portions of the screen are
presented to the multiple users aligned in a vertical orientation
or in a horizontal orientation, the displays can be done in the
same manner as described above for two display portions A and B.
More often, however, the views will not be aligned. For example,
most a four person scenarios are displayed on quadrants of the
screen. These quadrants generally are arranged at the upper left,
upper right, lower left and lower right areas of the display, and
these quadrants could be individually shown by applying a
combination of the methods described above. Namely, for showing the
top left quadrant, both the H sync and V sync for the output signal
would be pre-triggered with respect to the input video signal. In
this manner, a blank area could be shown above and to the left of
the A portion, the center of the screen would than contain only the
A portion, and a blank portion would also be to the right and below
the A portion.
[0038] Because the aspect ratio of each of the four quadrants may
be similar to the overall aspect ratio of the display, it may be
desirable in this four-player mode to enlarge each quadrant to
closely fit the entire viewing area of the display. To this end,
the device in FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which
a video frame memory or frame buffer is provided in communication
with the FPGA controller or other video processing device (similar
to the embodiment of FIG. 3B). Specifically, the video buffer
allows storing a frame or portion of a frame of data before
displaying to the user, to enable manipulation of the signal prior
to display. In this preferred embodiment in which four quadrants
are present in a four person multiplayer scenario, each of the
quadrants or sections preferably is scaled up prior to being
displayed on the displays to alleviate some or all of the framing
around the to-be-displayed portion. The video buffer may also be
used in either of the earlier scenarios described above. For
example, it may be desirable to stretch the portions A and B of the
embodiments described above to more completely fill the display
area.
[0039] FIG. 7 schematically shows the four-quadrant embodiment
described above, as well as another four-player scenario.
Specifically, this alternative four player scenario involves a
header (A) of information that is common to all players and four
portions (B-E) for the four players. In this embodiment, the first
player should be shown the header A as well as their relevant
game-playing section, which in the example is section B. Using the
methods described above, the present invention allows such a
display for the user. Moreover, the section B is preferably
centered below the header A.
[0040] While the present invention has been described thus far in
relation to embodiments in which the portion of a screen to be
displayed individually are pre-established, in a still further
embodiment of the invention, the user can select a section of the
original video to be displayed on that user's display screen. For
example, a pointing and clicking device can be used to identify
some portion of the display that the user would prefer to only see
on his or her display. In this instance, a video buffer may also be
required to manipulate each frame of the video signal to parse out
only those portions that should ultimately be displayed to the
user. One of ordinary skill would appreciate the plurality of input
methods or user interfaces that would enable selection of portions
of active video. One would also appreciate the option of selecting
several different sections of video and rearranging the placement
of such sections to the benefit and preference of the user.
[0041] As described above, the invention preferably is used with
personal video display devices. FIG. 8 shows a series of three
conventional video display devices. Each includes a wearable frame
including temples and ear pieces and a front portion housing a pair
of LCD screens, one each for registration with a users left and
right eyes.
[0042] Each video display device preferably also includes a user
controller. The controller generally includes an on/off switch and
may include other controls including volume, brightness and/or
contrast controls, and power functions. It is preferably on this
control that the user also can make a decision as to what portions
or how much of the standard image is to be displayed on his
specific display. For example, a user may choose to show all of the
image, may choose to show a left or right portion of
horizontally-aligned images, a top or bottom portion of
vertically-aligned images, or one of four quadrants in a standard
four quadrant multiplayer application. As noted above, the
controller may also include an input button or a moveable device
that would allow for pointing and clicking or some other selection
device for choosing a portion of the display to be shown. The first
personal video display device preferably also includes an output
that relays the video signal output from the console to the second
video display device. As illustrated in the Figures previously
discussed, an amplifier and a buffer preferably are used to assist
in this relaying of video signal to the second personal video
display device. Thus, each user has controls to choose the portion
of the display screen which he or she would like to use but only a
second output from a console is necessary. Accordingly, the users
can each play the same game or view the same content but with only
one output of the video.
[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, when the video
signal is a VGA signal, the video decoder may be made by Analog
devices, such as part no. AD9883. When the signal is an NTSC
signal, Techwell's TW9910 may be used as the video decoder. The
video processor is preferably an FPGA processor, although such is
not required. The processor may be XC35100E from XILINX or a custom
application specific circuit. The video encoder is generally
specific to the display and may not be required in some
embodiments. A known video buffer memory is IS61LV25616AL-ISSI
256.times.16 SRAM. The displays may be any number of displays,
including a KOPIN color VGA such as the 640.times.480 AMLCD display
provided as KCD-VDCF-BA.
[0044] Alternatively, the functioning of the invention can be
included in the gaming console, the video game, or another point of
origin of the video signal. For example, appropriate controls could
be included in the console to establish selective video display
portions for output. In this embodiment, multiple ports could be
included for a user to plug their display device into, i.e., to
choose between a first output, a second output, etc. Alternatively,
one output could be provided with a selection being made either by
the device or by the user about which portion of the active video
field would be output.
[0045] To implement the present invention, the number of lines and
pixels that make up each section may be pre-established by the
processor, or may be provided in information contained with the
video signal from the console. Moreover, the processor may
auto-detect the presence of a continuous vertical or horizontal
line and recognize such line as a division between adjacent
sections.
[0046] When the portion is displayed with one or more blank bands,
i.e., horizontal or vertical black bands as in the embodiments
described above, the video signal (the A or B portion) may also be
movable with respect to the bands. For example, for a personal
video display device, a head tracker may be used in connection with
the video processor to manipulate the position of the displayed
portion A or B on the display screen. Such head trackers may
incorporate gyroscopes, accelerometers or magnetic field sensors.
In one embodiment, a 3-axis gyroscope is used to detect the
rotation about the three axes of the user's head and a smoothing
function is applied to the output video signal to smooth the motion
of the video image on the microdisplay based on the computed
movement of the user's head. This will reduce the sensation that
the video image is head-borne and more placed in space like a
movie, television or other type of display screen. The degree of
smoothing would be a user preference set by the user interface
controls or could be pre-established by the programmer.
[0047] The present invention has been described with reference to
specific, preferred embodiments of the invention. The foregoing
embodiments of the invention are representative embodiments, and
are provided for illustrative purposes. The embodiments are not
intended to limit the scope of the invention. Variations and
modifications are apparent from a reading of the preceding
description and are included within the scope of the invention. The
invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the
accompanying claims.
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